HSE to give care to private gastric band patients

GASTRIC band patients who were left in the lurch by a consultant anaesthetist operating from a private clinic are being provided with aftercare services by the HSE.

The consultant, Dr Laszlo Ruscsak, was last week suspended by the medical agency Global Medic which had hired him to cover a post at Ennis General Hospital. Dr Ruscsak took thousands of euro from overweight patients for gastric band operations in Budapest and then failed to provide proper aftercare in this country.

Last night a spokesman for the HSE said they were concerned that “its hospital sites, address and name may have been used inappropriately in the course of a private business operation”.